Academics

Robert L. Morris

Professor of Biology

William & Elsie Prentice Professorship (2015-2020)

Degrees

Ph.D., Harvard University
A.B., Lafayette College

Research Interests

Broadly, my lab is interested in the ways cells use movement during differentiation from egg to animal. In particular, my lab is currently focused on the process of ciliogenesis - the process of cilia formation. Cilia are long appendages of cells that beat like paddles to move fluid over a cell or stand straight like antennae to receive signals from the outside world. Healthy cilia help embryos grow and lungs clear, eyes see and ears hear. By revealing how cilia grow and change to perform different functions in different tissues, our research helps explain the birth defects and diseases that arise from problems with these universal and versatile organelles.

My students and I conduct our research collaboratively with other scientists at Wheaton, the Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratory in Salisbury Cove, Maine, and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.

My courses are also Connected in the Wheaton Curriculum. Bio112/Cells and Genes is connected with Econ112/Microeconomics in the "Biopharma" Connection. Bio219/Cell Biology is connected with Arth353 Castles and Cathedrals in the "Living Architecture" Connection. Bio219/Cell Biology and Bio254/Developmental Biology are connected with *several* courses in the "Visualizing Information" Connection.